Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Villa of Norwegian violin virtuoso Ole Bull on Lysoen Island, 25 km south of Bergen.

© Issaurinko/Getty Images/iStock

Ole Bull Museum

Top choice in Bergen


This beautiful estate was built in 1873 as the summer residence of Norway’s first musical superstar, violinist Ole Bull. Languishing on its own private island, it's a fairy-tale concoction of turrets, onion domes, columns and marble inspired by Moorish architecture. Of particular note is the soaring pine music hall: it's hard not to imagine Bull practising his concertos in here.

Outside, the grounds are criss-crossed with 13km of lovely walks, and there's a small cafe.

The best way to arrive is aboard the passenger ferry (adult/child 60/30kr, eight minutes, hourly 11am to 3pm) which runs from Buena Quay to the island.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby Bergen attractions

1. Harald Sæverud Museum

6.1 MILES

Composer Harald Sæverud and his wife Marie lived in this simple timber home, 3km south of Troldhaugen. It was constructed in the 1930s of natural stone…

2. Edvard Grieg Museum

7.64 MILES

Composer Edvard Grieg and his wife Nina Hagerup spent summers at this charming Swiss-style wooden villa from 1885 until Grieg's death in 1907. Surrounded…

3. Fantoft Stave Church

8.88 MILES

This stave church, in the leafy southern suburb of Paradis, was built in Sognefjord around 1150 and moved here in 1883. It is, in fact, a reconstruction,…

4. ¶Ù²¹³¾²õ²µÃ¥°ù»å

12.14 MILES

The 1770 ¶Ù²¹³¾²õ²µÃ¥°ù»å manor, 3km west of town, may well be Norway's (if not Europe's) finest example of 18th-century rococo timber architecture. The building…

5. Cultural History Collection

12.27 MILES

This history museum is part of the Bergen Museum, and explores a panoply of mainly Norwegian topics – from artefacts of Inuit and Aleut culture, through…

6. Bergen Maritime Museum

12.28 MILES

Located on the university campus, Bergen's sea-themed museum is worth a look for its collection of model ships, including a few Viking galleons. There are…

7. Natural History Collection

12.33 MILES

This small museum is closed for renovations until 2019, which should add new galleries and updated displays.

8. KODE 4

12.41 MILES

Modern-art aficionados will want to make a beeline to KODE 4, which is home to a large permanent collection of European Modernist works including the odd…